FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2023
Big Tech’s campaign financing scheme moves back into Ga. in defiance of state law and the Constitution
Arlington, VA – National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli today issued a letter to Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger regarding ongoing violations of Georgia law.
Specifically, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) and a coalition of organizations are attempting to circumvent Georgia law through the newly formed front group, the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence. The “Alliance” is designed to systematically influence every aspect of election administration, offering local election offices an extensive portfolio of grants, trainings, resources, and consulting services. Just last week, in a brazen act of lawlessness and defiance, the Alliance selected DeKalb County Voter Registration & Elections for an initial grant award of $2 million.
In 2021, Governor Kemp and the General Assembly acted to prohibit local election officials from accepting private non-public monies from ideological groups, corporations, Big Tech companies, and possible foreign interlopers. The move was prompted after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, gave hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to nonprofits, including CTCL, which then funneled that money to thousands of election jurisdictions in 48 states and Washington, D.C. under the guise of “election administration” during the 2020 election cycle.
Cuccinelli wrote:
“Make no mistake, CTCL’s re-branded scheme to privatize Georgia’s elections and impact election policy are in direct violation of state law. The Alliance has emerged not only as a proxy organization attempting to circumvent Georgia Code, but also test the resolve of the state’s elected leaders. In fact, the organization has been intentionally structured to thwart oversight and accountability, and ultimately to get around the “Election Integrity Act of 2021.”
“The General Assembly and the governor acted to explicitly prohibit such election interference. We urge your attention to this important matter, that you expeditiously examine the Alliance’s illegal grant made to DeKalb County, and to continue the process of cleaning up the use of private money selectively funneled into local election offices. We trust you will aggressively enforce Georgia’s election laws—in consideration of their spirit and intent—to the fullest extent possible…”
“The corrupting influence of Big Tech oligarchs to privatize our elections dilutes the voices and votes of Georgians while undermining trust and confidence in the democratic process. If not curtailed, disenfranchised voters will continue to question the legitimacy and accuracy of our elections and doubt whether they were conducted with fairness and honesty. Every election law should be adhered to as written, and everyone should play by the same set of rules. That is the certainty voters deserve.”
Commonly referred to as “Zuckerbucks,” the funds from CTCL and their coalition allies were strategically directed into Democrat-leaning jurisdictions at a rate of 2:1 during the 2020 cycle. These grants manipulated the official voting apparatus for the purpose of partisan voter turnout and had an impact on not only the way the election was conducted, but also its outcome.
In fact, Georgia was one of the biggest recipients of these funds, ultimately receiving one of the largest allocations in the nation at more than $45 million, despite the state accounting for just 3.2 percent of the nation’s population.
The Election Transparency Initiative, a partnership between the American Principles Project (APP) and Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America was organized to combat federal H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 legislation and advocate for state-based election reforms that voters can trust.
